Hard-money lending can be a hazardous occupation in the best of times. In the worst of times — say, 2008-2010 — it can be a nightmare. Everybody got hurt when property values plummeted and default rates soared during the recession, but few industries took as big a hit as did hard-money lending, the risky act of funneling loans into troubled businesses at high interest rates, using property as collateral.

Audiobooks have been around for decades, but what recovering Silicon Valley insider John Lee and his colleagues at Ashland-based Folium Partners have in mind is something altogether different. “We’re turning it into an experience; we’re presenting publishers with the opportunity to add games and other features to support the book,” says Lee.